Blue White Illustrated

But Penn State's running game also made a number of critical mistakes in the first six games. Turnovers are the most glaring example. Heading into the Ohio State game, Penn State had fumbled an astounding 11 times, losing seven of them. The Nittany Lions' running backs have accounted for about half of those fumbles, and they have taken place at critical times. Two examples are Zwinak's fumbles in the UCF and Michigan games. His fumble against UCF came with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter on UCF's 27-yard line with Penn State trailing 34-24. Against Michigan, Zwinak fumbled on the first play of the second half with Penn State leading 21-10. The Wolverines scooped up the loose ball for a touchdown and completely changed the game's momentum. Ball security has been a problem for Zwinak. He's fumbled in seven of his past 12 games, and several of those turnovers have been at key moments. He never did get back into the game against Michigan, and the decision to sit him out for the final two quarters plus the overtime periods illustrates the dilemma the coaches face. Zwinak is a huge asset with his power and deceptive speed, but the Lions will be hard-pressed to develop any consistency if they continue to turn the ball over. Also, Penn State's running game needs a reliable outside threat to be successful against Nebraska and Wisconsin in November. That's especially true if opponents stack eight or nine men in the box in hope of rendering Penn State's offense one-dimensional. RECEIVER The formula for success here is to recreate what happened against Michigan. Penn State needs to have the wide receivers, tight ends and even the running backs all involved in the passing game. That's the way O'Brien's passing game is designed to work when it's operating at peak efficiency. Against Michigan, Penn State's wide receivers had 12 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns. The tight ends had eight catches for 91 yards and one TD, and Belton had three catches for 26 yards. Hackenberg was able to use the entire field. Felder's importance was highlighted against Michigan. He had six catches for 97 yards with two touchdown receptions. With the Wolverines trying to doubleand even triple-team Robinson using man coverage with a safety over the top, Felder in most instances faced single coverage and burned Michigan's defense. The other beneficiary of the Wolverines' coverage scheme was James, who ran vertical seam routes against zone coverage and pulled down six catches for 67 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown reception. If Felder and the tight ends can have the same type of success in the second half of the season and are as involved in the passing game as they were against Michigan, Penn State might have a legitimate chance to win four of its final six games. OFFENSIVE LINE There are two specific areas where the line needs to perform better in the second half of the season. While a variety of factors have played into the Nittany Lions' high sack total, there have been times when the offensive line hasn't picked up opponents' blitz schemes. That would be a problem for any team, but it's especially problematic at Penn State this year. When your starting quarterback is a true freshman, he's often going to need an extra second to go through his progressions. The protection issues are among the reasons why Penn State's third-down conversion rate isn't better. For the Lions to have a shot at defeating the likes of Nebraska and Wisconsin, they will probably need a conversion rate of close to 40 percent. The offensive line also needs to stop making mental mistakes. Illegal procedure penalties have killed drives at critical times. Finally, while I don't like to single out players, Penn State's hopes of diversifying its running game with an outsidethe-box rushing attack will require a more consistent performance from right tackles Adam Gress and Garry Gilliam, as well as seal blocks from the tight end. That's the only way Zwinak, Belton and Lynch will be able to run the ball effecI tively to the outside.

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